"Veil! What veil? Shen Xinlu and the old pedant immediately asked.

After speaking, the two smiled at each other, and their minds were completely involved in this case.

Nie Shuyao looked at the two uneasy cooks and said, "Although you didn't set the fire, you lied. The confessions of the two of you have been concealed, it is better to say it in front of all of us, this is not a public court, and you will not be punished if you say it wrong. But this is also a fair place, Li Zhutou and the virtuous elders in the county are here, and I believe they can make decisions for the two of you. ”

The phrase "virtuous elders" said that the older people present were fluttering, and they nodded their heads and said that they could make decisions for them.

Nie Shuyao looked at the shopkeeper again and said, "Actually, everyone has thought of the yellow finch in this case, but why did he do this?" If you want to unravel this answer, you must first talk about the handkerchief, I wonder if the shopkeeper knows what kind of handkerchief it is? ”

She didn't say that the shopkeeper was a yellow finch, but now everyone knows that only the shopkeeper can become the profitable yellow finch.

The shopkeeper Sen Ran smiled and said, "Girl, you can't talk nonsense, beware of flashing your tongue and hurting your life!" ”

Nie Shuyao frowned, and said in her heart: "Could it be that this matter will be more complicated than I imagined?" ”

Li Zhutou heard the threat in his words, and immediately said: "What the shopkeeper said is right. Words are not to be spoken, and confessions are even more so! You don't know yet, our county lord is here to listen. If you think that our words are not weighty enough, why don't you invite our adults to preside over them? ”

As soon as they heard that the county master was also there, everyone's minds became lively, but the shopkeeper began to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead.

Nie Shuyao didn't notice that the county master was mixed in the crowd, but it would be better if he was the host. At least it can take the attention of these people away. If it weren't for the thousand taels, she really wouldn't want to be watched like this by a group of people!

And Pang Yujuan also felt that it was better for Wu County Ling to come, and she was also afraid of those scrutinizing eyes, not afraid of them, but afraid that someone would pass on her badness. I'm afraid that my father will not let her go back to the capital when he hears it.

Wu Xian Ling finally stood up from the corner under everyone's gaze, wearing an elder scarf on his head. Holding a folding fan and arching it to everyone. That's like a leisurely grandfather.

When Wu Xian Ling was sitting at the long table of Li Zhutou and the others like a moon held by the stars, the catchers all stood behind him, and the style of the county master came out.

"Huh! The old man also came to join in the fun today, but he had to come out to preside over the case with clues. This is also a matter within the county, so you should treat it as another court trial, and you don't have to be too restrained. ”

He pressed his hand down, and everyone said in unison, "Thank you, sir." And he sat down again.

Wu County Ling said to Nie Shuyao: "Girl, please continue to ask." ”

"Yes. My lord! ”

Nie Shuyao turned to look at everyone: "Since the shopkeeper doesn't want to tell the origin of the handkerchief, then let's ask Fang Niangzi." ”

"Fang Niangzi, don't you want to talk about it too? With adults and elders in charge of you, what are you afraid of? ”

"I ......." Fang Niangzi's face showed struggle, how could she talk about such a disgrace in public?

Chef Shen on the side stepped forward and said, "I'll tell you." ”

She walked up to Wu Xianling, knelt down and said, "The little woman has no children and no daughters, only one nephew has also married a wife, I'll talk about it!" Please don't embarrass Fang Niang. ”

"Chef Shen, you ......." Fang Niangzi didn't expect that Chef Shen, who had been against her, would speak for her at a critical moment, and she was ashamed of her confession just now.

She no longer hesitated. also knelt down beside Chef Shen and said, "Ask the adults to make decisions for the little women." The little woman's confession was wrong, and I was the first to pour oil on the wick fire. The veil did not fall out by accident, but I threw it on purpose. The purpose of pouring oil was to make the fire bigger and burn down the restaurant in front of me, but God wouldn't let me do it, and the fire was extinguished as soon as the oil was poured out. ”

"Did you hear it, did you hear it? This slut doesn't know how to be grateful, and even wants to set fire to our Desheng Building. If I hadn't taken her in here as a cook, her man would have died of illness and would have become a widow! Fang Niangzi hasn't finished speaking. The shopkeeper jumped out and cursed.

When Fang Niangzi heard this, the tears in her eyes puffed down, and she bit her bloodless lip and bowed her head silently.

Nie Shuyao glanced at the shopkeeper coldly. "Didn't you hear that the fire was extinguished?" and the reappearance of the case just now is enough to show that the fire was not set by the two of them. Didn't the shopkeeper see it? Or do you want to treat people first? It's a pity that all of you here are wise elders and seniors. I don't want to think about what I'm saying is reasonable. ”

After speaking, he said to Fang Niangzi: "Please go on, what does the veil represent?" ”

The shopkeeper was retorted by Nie Shuyao for a while, with an angry expression on his face, and he wanted to say something threatening again, but he saw Wu Xian Lingzheng coldly watching him hurriedly bow his head and shut up.

Wu County ordered: "Speak! We already know the rights and wrongs. ”

Fang Niangzi wiped away her tears and continued: "The little woman is not grateful for Deshenglou's help when I was down. My father-in-law was originally a hunter, but when he was hunting the year before last, he accidentally fell off the cliff and injured his body, and in order to show him the injury, the family's money was also spent, and the little woman could only show up and get an errand.

It was the big shopkeeper of Desheng Building who took in the little woman, and thanks to such an errand, otherwise my father-in-law would probably go. From then on, I was the first to come to the kitchen, and the last to go, all of which wanted to repay the great kindness of Desheng Building. But the big shopkeeper only stayed here for two months before returning to Beijing, and the new big shopkeeper was a vampire, and none of us who were cooks had not been cheated on by him.

What's even more hateful is that we, as women, were not only deducted from our wages but also forced by him...... Forcing us to do that kind of nasty thing. If you don't comply, the salary will be deducted again, saying that it will be paid at the end of the year, but it has been two years and has never been given to us. Those of us who work as cooks are looked down upon on the outside, and here we have to do what he says, and we live on this little wage. ”

Speaking of this, Fang Niangzi cried loudly, and the audience was silent.

Nie Shuyao asked, "Say the veil." ”

It's not that she's cold, it's just that this veil is the point. Fang Niangzi has said so much but has not yet said the origin of the veil, which shows that this veil is really not a good thing.

Fang Niangzi only cried, as if she didn't hear her question.

Chef Shen on the side sighed and said, "My lord, I'll tell you about this." ”

"Speak!" Wu Xianling said with an ugly face.

Chef Shen looked open-minded and said, "That handkerchief is the shopkeeper's thing that pinched us, and he secretly stuffed this thing into our kitchen, and when we checked what it was, he appeared." Everyone must be very curious, how can a piece of handkerchief have such a big effect, but the handkerchief is embroidered with a picture of the Spring Palace, and the man's name is embroidered on it! ”

"Ahh

Everyone immediately whispered, no wonder the two cooks were pinched with a handkerchief, such a thing appeared in the hands of the woman, isn't it impossible to tell even if she has a mouth?

"Slut, Hugh is talking nonsense!" The shopkeeper jumped up and retorted.

Wu Xianling's face was displeased, and he said sharply: "Take him down!" ”

"Yes!" Li Zhutou and Da Niu stepped forward, twisted the shopkeeper to Wu Xianling, and kicked him on the hind leg and knelt down directly.

Wu Xian Ling said again: "Plug his mouth!" ”

Li Zhutou did as he said, he and Da Niu still pressed the shopkeeper, just not letting him raise his head and give the two cooks a threatening look.

"Go on!"

"Yes, sir. We finally waited for the adults to speak for us. ”

Chef Shen and Fang Niangzi kowtowed respectfully to Wu Xianling, and the two glanced at each other, and both understood each other's situation, and the small contradictions in the past were eliminated in one fell swoop.

Chef Shen continued: "At that time, I was startled when I opened the veil, but the shopkeeper suddenly appeared and slandered me for being an adulterer, and the little woman was very popular, but I couldn't explain it. He gave us two ways, one was to take a handkerchief to the Lanhu Villa, twenty miles outside the city, where someone received us; The second is that half of the salary will be deducted every month, and it will be returned to us at the end of the year. Otherwise, they will say that we have fornicated with others and will soak us in the pig pen. ”

"Please make the decision for us!" Fang Niangzi kowtowed again with tears on her face, which showed that her handkerchief was also like this.

Wu Xian Ling had never seen a person who blatantly blackmailed and slandered, and asked: "What is the Lanhu Courtyard twenty miles outside the city?" ”

Li Zhutou frowned, he had also heard that this place was not a serious place, but the people did not raise officials and did not hold them accountable, but there was no chaos.

But some of the people in the crowd don't look very good, and many people have been there! So it's not a good place.

Fang Niangzi said: "The little woman went home and quietly asked my father-in-law, and he said that it was a secret prostitution house. ”

As soon as this remark came out, everyone was in an uproar, this is forcing good people to become prostitutes, and a small shopkeeper is really fat!

Wu Xianling immediately asked: "Master Shen, tell you how to convict you of forcing Liang to become a prostitute?" ”

"Yes, sir." Shen Xinlu took a step forward and said loudly: "Forcing Liang to be a prostitute should be flogged for forty years according to the law, exiled, and never be allowed to return to the Central Plains." ”

This punishment is not insignificant, and a single flogging can strip a person's skin, and the infirm are likely to die, let alone exile. seems to be giving people a way to live, but in fact, they are basically sentenced to death, but in this era, it is rare to be able to follow the law.

The shopkeeper looked terrified and whined as if to justify.

Wu County ordered: "Li Zhutou, you take someone to seal the door of the store, don't let anyone out for the time being." Let him go and listen to what he has to say. ”

Everyone present felt that this matter was not simple, it was likely that the backstage of Desheng Building had made up a secret prostitution hall, otherwise it would be impossible for a shopkeeper to have such great ability.

After Da Niu got the cloth ball in the shopkeeper's mouth, the shopkeeper said loudly: "My lord, don't listen to the nonsense of this slut." What about the evidence, where is the evidence? Our Desheng Building is the property of Wuzhong Houfu in Beijing. ”

Hearing this, Wu Xianling's eyes lit up, and he was angry. (To be continued) R655